#the pose is a bit awkward but he IS pretty awkward so i aint fixing it

[addlepine]

sam drawing i did a few months ago all the way back in like september

[manecandyland-blog]

TaeKai - A scientific Research paper

(this is literally the 20th time i’ve written this out my computer keeps crashing - also to any haters out there - this whole “science” thing started as a joke, but I feel now, presented with all the information, that writing this in the format originally posed does more justice to the situation than just dumping 20 youtube links on a post. Also after a while this becomes NO JAM for anyone who isn’t invested in Taekai as a friendship/couple so if you aint, don’t be about it)

My first note - I have been a Kpop fan since 2012, but only got back into the swing of things in 2016 - when i first got into Kpop, i was pretty much exclusively into YG groups, bar 2 (GG and F*x* (stars used in order to keep out of the tag b/c yesh). So my informed knowledge of this matter when I first posed a scientific inquiry was limited. However, thanks to the community, I have gained a lot of knowledge. However, I have also realised that this will very quickly become a topic which many will have issue with, so in order to protect my community, i’ll leave all my sources anonymous -if you want to tell everyone which reciepts you found, or would like to add to this knowledge inquest, please do so, and I encourage this greatly. However - please keep all contrinutions factual and neutral, and please also maintain scientific standard, by sourcing if the source is not apparent or common knowledge. We deal in truth here, this is not a shipping expedition, nor a fanfic-boosting activity. This is not for aesthetic or fangirl reasons - this is true inquiry. There are some sources i couldn’t find so sorry in advance if i couldn’t include yours.

So in order to present my findings accurately, I must get out of the way some potentially data-obfuscating information that could colour proceedings;

1. After much discussion with the Taekai and Kpop community at large, we have concluded that a large majority of the evidence in terms of physical closeness can be attributed to a culture of Skinship, and this culture being heightened within idol activities. The idol degree of kinship would/could not extend to closeness outside of idol activities, but the overarching culture of skinship would. Further to this point, it’s also evident that skinship shown by idols to one another is actually not as fully accepted as international fans tend to think it is, as I have been told that within the culture, there is a far more traditionalist mindset than foreigners assume. For the former point - this is not likely to affect any public evidence of closeness i’ve found before 2014-ish (this year is important), but is likely to colour any activities during and post-ace era, as they would now be publically *outed* as bros (wierd choice of words but know what i mean). For the latter, this should highlight, at least in regard to “candid” proofs, that the level of skinship presented may not be as “normal” as foreign fans are likely to believe. 2. A very diligent and long-term Kpop fan also notified me that it’s likely during and after the Ace era, that there was a move to “bro”-ify Taekai, whether genuine or in order to obfuscate rumours. Therefore, at this time, evidence is now coloured by a factor of how management/etc would like fans/others to see them, in regards to responding to any “misunderstandings”. However, after much discussion with my colleagues, it has become evident that even if this were a move to cover some form of truth (which is the point that i will argue in this paper), then this was a genius move, as any skinship would now fall under this banner, even if it was evidence of a relationship. This, however, makes analysis on our end very difficult.

I should also mention there are very few outcomes that could become of this study, and it’s likely to be a mixture, but none of them can be 100% proven, as, surprise! I’m neither Taemin, nor Kai, and I don’t know for sure.

-Either we find this is all an act and they aren’t friends (which would be our control outcome) -or we find they’re just super close friends -or they’re full on boyfriending it up

I’m trying to clear my mind of any bias before we start, but I have a good idea going in of where we’re gonna end up.

SO. Here we go.

The earliest receipt I have that’s reliable as a source, is from the 2013 MMA’s, where SHINee won the daesang. (Note: SHINee, Taemin’s group, won, and yet Kai, member of EXO, is the one crying)

I mean….i’ll let the footage speak for itself, but it is good to note that this was before any true push towards bro-ifying them as far as i’m aware, and they’re signature patting each other on the butt is also present here. In my scientific opinion, this can be construed two ways - Kai tends to cry, so he would cry on behalf of his *friend*, whereas Taemin tends not to cry, so easily fixed that one. With the utmost neutrality, this would be the mark of a very close friendship, where Kai is acknowledging the hard work his friend put in to doing well. The hug is pretty close by anyone’s standards, but this can still be attributed to a very close brotherly friendship. (The butt pats tho? I need to get used to that)

Early 2014 bought us this Gem - it’s interesting to know the story, but also more important to note when public perception of them was beginning to be written. (still, taemin’s being a little shit, calling him out and everything I love it);

This next reciept is interesting. It’s Ace era, and very specifically the pretty boy-ification. But here’s the sitch - around 1:04 Taemin’s looking pretty self-conscious, being that he’s pretty much shirtless, but check out 1:19;

Cheesy, yes, but don’t pay attention to what Kai’s saying, but what he’s doing - he feels very comfortable touching Taemin while he feels self-conscious, and is rather exposed. One could read any kind of conclusion from that but i’m just saying - that’s a very close bond y’got there.

And lets address the elephant in the room everyone - the W Korea Shoot. Now, we all know what ended up happening *cough cough*, but that aside - just take a look at these pictures;

This photoshoot was obviously heavily instructed, but those who know about photoshoots know you can’t really control the subjects and how the interact with each other. a lot of the other pictures felt sterile, the ones with the third member of the shoot *cough cough* feeling the most sterile - but the super charged, highly ~aesthetic ~ ones seem to always include taekai, and specifically taekai in some way interacting.

Now - get ready, here’s where shit gets freaky, scientifically speaking;

Taemin just keeps fiddling with Kai’s top, in the end leaving it more open than it was before…..bros? also, 1:42 - WHO. DOES. THIS. - he’s not even awkward, he’s not even sorry, he just teases the hell out of the EXO-L’s because he can. and who’s Bro lets them rub their chest and just smiles? Also peep the hand holding/stroking, i’ll get to that in a second. 

.....and finally……

it’s very important to note that these photos came out around the time the bro-ification started, but no-one just strolls down next to han river, embracing, being total bros, all alone. right? of course one could reason they’re just “very good friends” but this is where that argument breaks down - firstly Han river is a known romantic spot, and it’s pretty public, so the idea that they could roam anywhere else also comes into play. Also, there was no reason for them to be so close to each other - they had no idea the cameras were there. I’d also like to direct my peers to this;

Taemin stumbles over saying that they’re best friends, and immediately gets awkward when explaining their relationship. However, he seems a bit peeved that people think they may be in a relationship, quick to say he should be more careful even though everyone is ok with it, and almost tired at the radio host saying he’s “too pretty”. It’s a quip i think he’s heard one too many times, and him and kai walking alone really isn’t helping that perception of him, so his reaction here is more in reaction to the perception of his masculinity than maybe their perhaps being in a relationship. Taemin’s description of their skinship though, puts to rest any questions of subjectivity or obfuscation when it comes to cultural barriers - even though the radio host makes it clear their relationship may be closer than comfort culturally, taekai don’t see it as anything out of the ordinary. That’s again, not confirmation of a relationship, but more a righting of a perception of them he’s probably tired of trying to explain. He knows it’s out of the ordinary, but when he explains it, it seems we get an idea of how Taemin percieves their relationship, which is helpful from an objective standpoint.

there are other reciepts I’ve received, but have not been able to verify, and many other videos im sure, that state the same points, but i wasn’t able to include as tumblr won’t let me? i mean that sounds fake but ok tumblr whatever.

My conclusion is slightly different from the one i thought i’d make - there are four options that seem evident after discussion; 1. They are dating, they’ve done been dating, they will continue to date (this seems less likely, as 8 years of a relationship, through all of the ups and downs, seems a stretch); 2. They were friends, they began dating, they got caught, they bro-ified, and now they can touch each other to their hearts content because everyone thinks they’re idol bros; 3. They’re EXTREMELY CLOSE bros, and maybe kind of more, but it’s noncommittal maybe? Or just informal; 4. They’re just very affectionate bros.

Everything up until the hand holding had me thinking it was either 4 or 1. But then, they hold hands in public, but they try and hide it? and then they fix each other’s clothes when they assume they’re hidden from view? they take strolls late at night through romantic locations?

The kicker is when Taemin rubbed Kai’s chest - that’s him knowing we know he can do that, and we can’t, and you’d only think like that if you knew you could actually physically touch your *friend’s* bare chest (which he was super self-conscious of by the way) and not have him react adversly, which is an incredibly close relationship even for skinship. That’s literal skin-ship.

In my personal professional opinion, I think it’s option 3 - after much talk, research, collaboration and decision making with the community, it only makes sense - Option 3 covers that they feel OK touching each other, even in public, but maybe don’t have a full on relationship. This would also explain the final video, where Taemin explains why they’re so close physically. I think also it explains why they get a bit secretive about the hand holding - if there’s more there, it’s because they know that even though much of their skinship can be explained away by bromance, that maybe they’ve developed a special brand of closeness that looks a bit too out there for the average viewer.

In all honesty, we won’t know, but i’m not ruling out that they’re kind of boyfriends, in the menial sense. Objectively, form what they’ve told us and done, they essentially fulfilled the “partner” role in each others lives, basically spending all their free time together doing stuff they both have an interest in.

My conclusion: Definitely Bestbros™ with a side of *maybe we get it on sometimes*

I am open to any and all discussion below on this topic. Thanks to all involved.